popnews.com (google translation from French) Alex and Thomas retained many things of their American escapade. Already followers of the ballades of Grandaddy, the English also flirtent from now on with the New York pop of The Strokes (“Cold World”) or even with that of Nada Surf (“Stupid Mistake”) Click link to read it all.
(many thanks to Carole & theghostchild for translating)
tatapoum.net (thanks to theghostchild) One of England’s best kept secrets is back. With only 6 songs, ESP put themselves back on the top of the pack and barely miss the leadership. A Beating Heart is like every complex pop song should sound and Cold World is simply the best song of the band (with Lose Yr Frown) If Everybody Wants is ambitious in its structure, the under-mixed voice and guitar lead us to meditation whereas Kick in the Teeth & Stupid Mistake go thru pop and metal paths before So Much Love, felt from heaven, draws a conclusion. We can’t wait for the sequel. 4.5/5
xsilence.net (thanks to Carole) The Electric Soft Parade mark their return with this excellent EP. The Britons only needed one week to write it, as long to record it, six tracks and about thirty minutes to prove that their talent is just not equal to their – let’s say discreet success...
A Beating Heart opens the debate. It’s an ambitious song made up of three parts of one small minute each, shifting from a mystic organ to an excited guitar. Here, Tom and Alex managed to write the song Muse have vainly been trying to make for 7 years now.
The rest of the EP seems to have been picked up from that single track, with its long acoustic and symphonic piece in Everybody Wants, its poppy Stupid Mistake, and its mind-blowing Kick in the Teeth with its eye on more metal influences than usual.
As for Cold World, reminiscent of some highly-inspired McCartney stuff, it is a little marvel of pop perfection which must provoke floods of tears among all the Gallaghers, Coldplay, Keane and other would-be Beatles around. Not to mention the conclusion So Much Love – a short dreamy acoustic piece...
And the absence of irony is indeed what stands out of this EP. Two years ago, the White brothers declared they wanted their third album to sound like OK Computer. The Human Body just confirms they’re on the right track.
soundofviolence.net (thanks to theghostchild) 4 years ago, everyone was in awe of ESP’s first record Holes in the Wall, a record as good as anything from Beck or Blur. The two angelic brothers from Brighton released one the best records of 2002, very melodic and bold, the kind of record that thrills you. In 2003 they released The American Adventure, a more experimental record but in the end at least as good. It proved that they are very talented and have a very strong musical identity.
Ever since, they have begun to put themselves back in the light with their side project, Brakes that includes members of British Sea Power. Nevertheless the White brothers found some time to record that EP, The Human Body before their real third album.
Once again, the listener is charmed from the very first seconds. We’re very happy to find again everything we love about ESP, especially this odd feeling of tension combined with sweet melancholy.
The songs are still very surprising and it is impossible to guess how they are going to end, the White brothers blur the lines (A Beating Heart) Cold World, Stupid Mistake and So Much Love show that their skill for songwriting has not faded and that they really deserved all the praise they got when Holes in the Wall was released.
For sure, Everybody Wants is the masterpiece of the record, so typically ESP: a great melody, a strange structure, a great production... 7 minutes of happiness. The last but one song, Kick in the Teeth, is heavier and darker.
Those disappointed with The US Adventure won’t be as disappointed with that one, much more accessible and attractive. The Human Body is a small jewel that we hope to be an hors d’oeuvre before the next album. 4/5
(you may have read my "translation" of the above before)
indie-eye.blogosfere.it "On their Myspace are streaming some tracks from The Human Body EP, really very interesting" (google translation)
I've had to leave quite a lot of this one out unfortunately.
Look out for the complete album. Text: Paul Claasen.
The Electric Soft Parade is, almost three years after The American Adventure, back with new work. For label problems have seen to it that this is now only in the form of an EP with six tracks: The Human Body EP... The style of Electric Soft Parade is a mix of their two earlier albums: loose structured gitaarsong (guitar songs) a little more thought through and orkestraal arranged popnummers (orchestrally arranged pop songs) alternate.
The review describes Cold World as cheerful... Kick in the Teeth appears to be almost a cover of the Queens Of The Stone-Age. As each number has its own character... not sure about the next bit, may be: a new album will only suffer a shipwreck when they want to sail too many courses (a new album will only fail when they try too many styles... I think) Deciding on the material of The Human Body EP gives Electric Soft Parade the benefit of the doubt.
Three years after "The American Adventure", the third album of the Electric Soft Parade. The brothers White renounced publishing themselves on a major label, and release with the small indie framework. The Metway studios in Brighton was used in order to give creativity free run, and after not even one week enough material was finished for a complete EP...
On A Beating Heart: "whose rhythm replicates a heart beat impressively"... Spherical sound carpets construct themselves, the sound becomes condensed, and very surprisingly in the last minute powerful gerockt (rock?)
On Cold World: Is very beautiful... (reminiscent of) fresh summer air.
Stupid Mistake sets large emotions free, in order to experiment excessively with synthesisers in the instrumental passages, and the almost seven minute Everybody Wants emerges as the centerpiece of the album (as the heart of the album) A heart wrenching epic... as the Whites play themselves increasingly into an intoxication, and make magic at the same time with another charming soundtrack.
On Kick in The Teeth: rockt almost three minutes so strongly that some may think in such a way of a Punkkracher (punk rocker?)
And for the conclusion there is So Much Love, very short and reduced, at the same time an extremely intimate moment.
With "The Human Body EP" Electric Soft Parade succeeded to produce a varied, fastidious (demanding) and timelessly beautiful EP, which only shortens the wait for the new album. Hopefully a good indicator for what we may expect shortly.
EP review @ platomania.nl "As a whole The Human Body EP is lavishly orchestrated and fairly cheerful and Beatlesque"...
EP review @ radiomad.web-log.nl The American Adventure (2003) paled out because it wasn't 'commercially' accessible enough. The consequence? A long silence. Only suddenly their comeback appears near. The Human Body EP has been brought out recently on the indie Truck Records, and an almost extinguished light is again awake (at the) center of this EP is the impressive musical arrangement... Listen but once to the number Everybody Wants... This gives you a taste for more (not a word for word translation)
Translated by: freetranslation.com (not word for word)
(standout tracks) Everybody Wants, A Beating Heart. The review starts by talking about Holes In The Wall, a pop album in the vein of a better Blur or Beck. These two young brothers, less than 20 years, native of Brighton, certainly created one of the better albums of the year 2002 - very resourceful, mélodique, rather sumptuous let us say it - the kind of albums that give you goose bumps easily enough.
In 2003, The American Adventure came out: 9 more experimental titles, less easy in approach but that made you realize how much songwriting talent the Brothers White have and of their so unique universe.
The review then mentions their parallel project Brakes and says that The Electric Soft Parade have gone out to rediscover themselves and elaborated with this EP, The Human Body, while awaiting a third album.
Once more, the listener is terribly enchanted as early as the first songs. It pleases you to rediscover all that you like about the ESP, in particular this strange indescribable feeling due to a certain mixed tension to a soft melancholy.
The songs always greatly surprise us: impossible to know how they will finish, so the brothers White have fun themselves (amuse themselves?) to jumble the tracks (arrange the tracks?) (A Beating Heart)
Cold World, Stupid Mistake or again So Much Love show us that their undeniable talent for the melody and the direction of the composition are always there and that they did not absolutely (take to heart) the praise that was attributed to them during their first success (I'm guessing some words)
Everybody Wants is certainly entitled as the most successful song of this EP, characteristic of the brothers White: convoluted arrangements, a melody to fall (a descending melody?) a mastered orchestration... Seven minutes of happiness. The next-to-last title, Kick In The Teeth, is a more nervous (anxious?) and darker song.
Suppose that those disconcerted by The American Adventure will be less so by this record, one a lot more accessible and welcoming. You hope The Human Body EP is a small taster of what The Electric Soft Parade will produce for their true third album.
Delphine
EP review @ screenagers.pl (in Polish) This is only my 2nd ever attempt to translate from Polish. A few things I can make out (I probably have got some things wrong)
After a triumphal start a hard landing has happened after the glory commanded them at the fast growth of the Electric Soft Parade. Two years ago, when they released their second commercial album The American Adventure, their contract has undergone dematerialization from their major label. This was not drastically worse than debut Holes In The Wall, however, it did not have the melodic adhesiveness of its predecessor (think I've just learned some new words!!)
The brothers other project, Brakes, managed to find a home on Rough Trade. The review then mentions they're now on Truck Records, "whose biggest star til now was Black Nielson".
Without media pressure, their next compositions emerged without the interest of the broader public. A second breath turns out to have beneficial consequences for Electric Soft Parade: The Human Body EP is the best portion of music in the enforcement of the brothers White from 2002 (it's the best they've done since then?) though hard indeed to appraise the form of structures after hardly six compositions (it's hard to judge after just 6 songs)
Opener, A Beating Heart, it is possible to call an experimenting composition... In the second minute, the return of action shows that care of arrangement detail remains in their blood.
Then the review mentions that they have "recovered the ability of writing songs" on this EP.
Of Cold World they say: With britpopowej (britpop?) heritage, undergrown with considerable layers of sunny feeling a la The Sleepy Jackson (a composition reminiscent of The Sleepy Jackson) might be their new artistic direction, if not for the remainder of the record (if the rest of the record's not)
And the next bit doesn't make sense except for... Fact, Electric Soft Parade still never composed in so natural manner...
Then the review mentions old (long-standing) fans, Kick in the Teeth and Holes In The Wall (I'm guessing that means it would appeal to fans who liked that album) And of the song it's described as having a "stereophonic structure" (though many more words were used in Polish)
Then on "almost seven minute" Everybody Wants the review praises the "pretty well worked out" orchestral arrangement in the "construction of tension". It didn't translate well (I think they did this one on an 8 track at home so I'm guessing it was done with a keyboard/computer)
The last bit isn't clear either. But it mentions 21 minutes and that is the total length of the EP. A proper translation would be best but I've tried it in 2 different translators with not much luck (one translated sentence by sentence and the other let me do so many words a day...)